News Brief

Jan. 31, 2013IA |
By: INS

Iowa Medicaid Expansion

Iowa has a chance to expand Medicaid coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act, but Governor Branstad is expressing reservations about the idea.

Iowa native John Crabtree with the Center for Rural Affairs sees it differently. Crabtree's group says this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to increase the number of people who can get health coverage, particularly in rural areas where they greatly need it.

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The federal government has offered to pay all of the states' Medicaid costs for the first three years of the expansion, and to share the costs with states after that. Crabtree says expanding Medicaid would enhance the quality of life in rural Iowa by providing greater access to health care services in those areas.